The minimum number of calories you must burn each day is your resting metabolic rate, or RMR. This is the rate at which you burn calories while you are not performing any activity at all. Your RMR depends on factors such as your activity level, age, weight, height and gender. You can calculate your RMR with standard formulas from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. You’ll typically need to calculate your RMR when you design your weight-loss plan.
Step 1
Obtain your weight in kilograms. Weigh yourself in pounds with a bathroom scale and multiply this value by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms.
Step 2
Determine your height in centimeters. Measure your height in inches with a tape measure and multiply this value by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters.
Step 3
Compute your RMR if you’re female with the following formula: (6.25 x height) + (9.99 x weight) - (4.92 x age) - 161. This formula requires your height in centimeters, your weight in kilograms and your age in years.
Assume your height is 168 cm., your weight is 67 kg. and your age is 42 years for this example. Your RMR is:
(6.25 x 168) + (9.99 x 67)
- (4.92 x 42) - 161 = 1,352 calories per day
Step 4
Calculate your RMR if you’re male with the following formula: (6.25 x height) + (9.99 x weight) - (4.92 x age) + 5. This formula requires your height in centimeters, your weight in kilograms and your age in years.
Assume your height is 171 cm., your weight is 79 kg. and your age is 35 years for this example. Your RMR is:
(6.25 x 171) + (9.99 x 79)
- (4.92 x 35) - 161 = 1,691 calories per day
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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